Means for rendering bottles non-refillable.



No. 822,287. PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906.

H. 0. MASGALL. MEAN$ FOR RENDERING BOTTLES NON-REFILLABLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1906.

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HARRY O. MASCALL, OF JOHANNESBURG, TRANSVAAL.

MEANS FOR RENDERING BOTTLES NON-HEFILLABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1906.

Application filed January 5, 1906. Serial No. 295,054.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, I-IARRY ORME MAS- CALL, a subject of the Kng of Great Britain, residing at Johannesburg, in the Colony of the Transvaal, have invented new and useful Means for Rendering a Bottle Non-Refillable, of winch the follow ng is a specfication.

The invention has for its object the application to bottles of means whereby they are rendered non-refillable. For th's purpose a device constructed as here'nafter described is inserted in the neck of a bottle, wherein it will become locked automatically.

The invention 's illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a bottle with the non-refilling dev'ce in pos'tion. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectlvely a s'de elevation and plan of the non-refill'ng dev'ce shown separately, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the non-refilling device ready for insertion in a bottle-neck.

The devfce cons'sts of a hollow cyl'nder a, having fixed top I) and false bottom 0, both perforated, the space 01 inclosed thereby be ing filled with pumice-stone or other inert The lower part a of the apparatus may be con'cal, as shown, and the bottomf is a certain d stance below the false bottom a and is provided with a we'ghted valve 9, so arranged as to be closed in any position except when the bottle "s reversed in the act of pouring out its contents.

In the drawings the valve 9 is a flap-valve hinged at 9; but a valve of any sutable form may be employed. The con cal portion .2 may rest on a shoulder or th'cken'ng h in the bottle-neck, and to it are fixed. spr'ng-legsi i, the free ends of wh ch are so shaped as to be capable of lock'ng underneath the bottom internal portion of the thcken'ng h of the bottle-neck, which latter is preferably made of form to receive such free ends. One of such legs i has connected or h'nged thereto a spring stop-bar i while the other leg has a slot or recess 0? to receive the free end of sad stop-bar 71 The stop-bar i may have a cross-bar i at its end, as shown, to keep its I end in contact with the other leg 'i and to lock the parts in their open post on.

To insert the device into the neck of a bot- ,tle, the free end of the spring stop-bar i is springing outward into the position shown at Fig. 1 pass under the internal portion of the th ckenlng h at the bottom of the neck. The spring stop-bar "i then springsinto its locking position, when the dev. ce is securely fixed to the bottle.

By revers'ng the bottle the contents can be readily poured out, as the valve 9 will open in such pos'tion, while inother positions the valve will close, and it cannot be interfered with, as no instrument can reach it, consequent on the cylinder being filled with pumice or with other inert material.

If des red, the perforated plates 1) and 0 may be fixed in an inner cyl, nder containing the inert material, which inner cylinder terminates at the perforated false bottom 0 above mentioned, in wh'ch case the inner cylinder wlll be fixed in an outer cylinder the bottom of which rests on a shoulder or thickening, such as h, in the bottle-neck and is fitted with the automate valve 9 above mentioned. A space, such as j, is left between i the perforated bottom 0 of the inner cylinder containing the inert mater'al and the bottom of the external cylinder to permit of the acton of the valve.

A cork can be inserted in the neck is of the bottle above the device above described.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the cylinder a is shown surrounded with packing material Z such as india-rubber, cork, or cementto insure atight fit between it and the bottle-neck.

The legs 7', i are each preferably provided with a l ght spr'ng m, fixed to such legs and working through loops m on the conical portlon e, such springs m hav'ng a normal tendency to open the legs "L i away from each other.

The stop-bar i has also a light spring, such as i which causes it to move into its looking position and reta'ns it in such position.

The valve gis shownfitted with awe'ght 9 What I cla m as my invention is 1. In a non-refillable device for insert'on into the neck of a bottle or the like, the combination of a cylindrical portion having a perforated top, a perforated false bottom, inert material contained between said top and bottom, and a valve at the lower part thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. In a non-refillable device for insertion into the neck ,of a bottle or the like, the combination of a cylindrical portion having a perforated top, a perforated false bottom, inert material contained between sa'f d top and bottom, a valve at the lower part thereof, a pair of spring-legs at the lower end of such device having a normal tendency to open away from each other, and a spring locking-bar to retain such legs in their open position, substantially as set forth.

3. In a non-refillable device for insertion into the neck of a bottle or the like, the combination of a cylindrical portion having a perforated top, a perforated false bottom, inert material conta-ned between said top and bottom, a valve at the lower part thereof, a pair of spring-legs at the lower end of such device having a normal tendency to open away from each other and a spring locking-bar to retain such legs in their open position, such lockingbar being hinged to one of the springlegs and the other leg being formed with a recess to receive the free end of said locking-bar, substantially as set forth.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

H. O. MASOALL. Witnesses:

JOHN L. HARDY, F. R. FARQUHAR. 

